


Valentine's Game

by LyricstoSilence



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Harukawa Maki x ???, Involves some rarepairs, Multi, No killing game, Non-Despair AU, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Valentine's Day Fluff, everyone will eventually be mentioned at least, just happy children on Valentine's Day, no spoilers (probably), you'll see who it is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-15 23:19:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12330843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyricstoSilence/pseuds/LyricstoSilence
Summary: Maki Harukawa gets a vague letter on Valentine's morning...(A Secret Admirer sends Maki on a scavenger hunt to get her Valentine's Day surprise. Probably will be a three-shot, or a mini-arc.)





	Valentine's Game

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hiften](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Hiften).



Maki had found it slipped under her door in the morning. 

It was in a bright, almost obnoxious pink envelope for stationary, sealed with a heart sticker. How utterly cheesy. At first, she brushed it off at just the glance of the envelope. The color hurt her eyes and she was almost sure someone slipped it under the wrong door. But no, it  _ was _ addressed to her… her name written neatly on the back in cursive proved that. So Maki stared long and hard at the sticker sealing the envelope shut, glaring at it in frustration.

Open it? Don’t? Maki wasn’t sure. Surprise mail was… no foreign concept to her. But anything from her superiors usually came in the mail, in pristine white envelopes stamped with the orphanage’s name. This? This wouldn’t be from them.

Then who could it be from? She didn’t receive mail from anyone else, especially not messages that were slid under her doorway overnight. Confusion, and mild frustration, set in. At least, it set in enough for her to peel back the sticker and open the envelope. 

Inside were two things. A single rose petal in a brilliant shade of red, and piece of cardstock, no larger than a notecard. With rather badly doodled flowers on the sides, the center of the note read a simple message.

_ Head to the courtyard for your first surprise. _

Upon reading those eight words, Maki frowned. What? That was it? She clicked her tongue distastefully. Was this some kind of joke? The girl tossed the note and envelope to her bed, looking carefully at the rose petal.

A few seconds of inspecting the soft petal, she glanced back at the note, tossed face-down on her blankets. She sighed. It had to be a joke or a prank. Deciding not to worry about nonsense like that, Maki let the rose petal flutter to the floor and got off of her bed, proceeding out the door like she planned on before finding that note on her floor.

* * *

She had only taken a step into the dining hall when she spotted someone at one of the tables. Kaede seemed to hear her footsteps approaching anyway because she turned to Maki with that ever-charming smile on her face.

“Ah, Maki! Good morning,” the pianist greeted. A half-tried nod was all Kaede got in acknowledgment, but even so, the chipper attitude of the pianist didn’t falter. Maki assumed Kaede had reason to be in an especially good mood.

When silence grew from Maki’s lack of vocal response, Kaede took the chance to speak up again. “Hey, Maki? Would you be willing to taste something for me? I need a second opinion here...”

“... What do you mean?” Maki asked, furrowing her brow suspiciously. With a placating wave of her hands in front of her, Kaede giggled sheepishly. “I-I just want to make sure the dark chocolate isn’t too bitter. Please, Maki? I’ll owe you one!”

“Why are you making chocolates in the first place?”

Kaede’s cheeks puffed out, giving Maki an incredulous look to rival one of her own. Maki would have been impressed if it wasn’t for Kaede’s gesture implying she was being dumb. When the red-eyed girl didn’t make a sound to reply, Kaede’s facial features softened, and she rubbed her head. “Ahh, geez… did you forget it was Valentine’s Day, Maki?”

“Valen...tine’s…”

Oh, so she did forget. Maki crossed her arms, looking off past Kaede’s face. It wasn’t like they ever celebrated Valentine’s Day where she grew up, who could blame her for overlooking it?

“... Who are the chocolates for?” Maki questioned bluntly. With a small yelp, Kaede raised her hands defensively. “H-Hey, that’s not something you ask in public, you know…”

“Why not?”

Rubbing her head again, Kaede sighed. “Well… it’s like asking about the person’s crush at the top of your lungs…”

This was nothing like that, but Maki bit her tongue rather than pointing it out.

“Tell you what!” the pianist suddenly declared, crossing her arms and leaning in a bit towards Maki. Maki instinctively leaned back. “How about, if you taste-test the dark chocolate, I’ll let you know who it’s for?”

“You’re implying I care that much in the first place. Don’t be stupid,” Maki retorts, causing Kaede to pout. “Ahh, c’mon Maki… please? This is really important, and I’m asking as a friend here.”

“... Fine, I’ll try one.”

Maki figured this response would make things end quicker, rather than pointing out Kaede shouldn’t assume they’re friends so easily.

Kaede smiled and ushered Maki into the kitchen. There wasn’t much time to react before Kaede popped up a small, heart-shaped chocolate from a candy mold and handed it to Maki. And wordlessly, Maki placed it in her mouth, taking a moment to taste it.

… Kaede had a surprising skill with sweets. It was bitter, sure, but not overbearingly so. It had a great balance between the bite of the bitter cocoa and the sweetness of sugar in it. Maki swallowed the piece of chocolate before responding.

“It’s fine. Whoever it’s for should like it.”

“Ah, I’m glad!” Kaede said with a smile. The pianist began popping out more of the candies, six dark chocolates, and six milk chocolates, as Maki would notice. Maki only spoke up when Kaede began placing the sweets in a small candy box. “So, who are they for?”

“Oh? Now you’re curious?” Kaede teased. Maki huffed. “Not really…”

Kaede closed the candy box, sealing it with a small patch of tape. “Well, come on, he should be in the courtyard with Kaito right now!”

“What do you mean come o — Kaede, let go!”

* * *

After being quite unceremoniously dragged to the courtyard by Kaede, Maki skidded to a stop by the fountain. She huffed furiously, straightening out her skirt and glaring at Kaede menacingly. “Don’t  _ ever _ do that again, understand?”

“Y-yeah… sorry, Maki.”

She made no sound to show if she accepted the apology, simply looked around the area for who was there. Random students of the school wandered about, but the two recognizable faces were Kaito and…

“Ah, Shuichi!”

In hindsight, that should have been obvious.

Shuichi turned to look at the two girls once Kaede called out to him, and he offered a shy wave, tilting his hat down a bit more over his eyes. “Ah… hello Kaede, Maki.”

“Hey, you two! How’s it been goin’?” Kaito asked, pressing his fists together with an eccentric grin on his face. Kaede giggled. “Good morning to you too, Kaito. It’s good to see you.”

“Heh, likewise!” the astronaut replied, a bright smile on his features. All the while, Shuichi refused to make eye contact, leaving the brim of his hat the act as a barrier. If Maki focused, she could see his general gaze focused to the candy box in Kaede’s hands…

Maki chose then to speak up.

“... So the chocolates were for Shuichi, huh?”

The pianist, as well as the detective in question, reeled back. “M-Maki…!” Kaede scolded, an embarrassed tint on her cheeks. As well, Shuichi’s cheeks seemed to bloom a shade of red, and his gaze angled towards the ground even more. Maki sighed. “Really now…?”

“I-It’s just, did you have to announce it like it?” Kaede pouted, her eyes closed and her brow twitching in mild irritation.

“Eh? So they  _ are _ for Shuichi, huh?” Kaito grinned, giving a thumbs-up. “Alright! I knew you two would make a great pair.”

“K-Kaito…,” Shuichi whined, tilting his hat down to try and completely obscure his face from view. Kaede sighed, her cheeks still flushed pink, and took a few steps towards Shuichi. The pianist gently reached for his hand. “How about… w-we talk for a minute…  _ alone _ ?”

Kaede’s request, or rather, command, was met with Kaito slapping Shuichi on the back in encouragement and nodding quickly. “Will do! Let’s go, Maki Roll!”

Her eyes twitched at the nickname. “How many times do I have to tell you — ,”

Unfortunately, Kaito was already linking arms with Maki and hauling her off, so the red-eyed girl shut her mouth before she could finish scolding. They didn’t move far in the end. While out of earshot, they could still see the pair by the fountain. From the treescape where they stood now, Kaito seemed to want to watch Kaede and Shuichi’s encounter.

“... You shouldn’t spy, you know,” Maki chastised, but Kaito simply waved her off. “I need to know how my bro makes out with this. He likes Kaede. A lot.”

“It’s clear he does. But that’s not my point.”

“Ehh… I get your point, Maki Roll. But it’s a hero’s job to take care of his sidekick, eh? I need to make sure this goes well for him…,” Kaito explained. Maki figured it was an excuse, but left it alone. 

With her arms crossed, Maki leaned back against the tree they hid behind and stared off at the distance. Valentine’s Day, huh? Well, if there was ever a day for a couple to get together, she assumed that would be one. Even from here, she could see nameless faces exchanging kisses and candies off in the distance. She must have been staring at the couples for a while because she felt Kaito nudge her arm with his elbow. “What’re thinking on, Maki Roll? Maybe planning for your own Valentine surprise?”

“Gross.”

Kaito chuckled. “Hey, don’t be like that. It’s normal for most girls to give something out today, don’t be shy.”

“Why just the girls?” Maki challenged with a tone of disappointment, glaring at Kaito. The astronaut laughed a bit. “I mean, not  _ just _ girls, okay? I’m planning something for Kirumi myself, so. Yeah. Anyone can, but that’s not my point.”

“I get your point,” Maki retorts. “But it’s still gross.”

“Okay, but… what’re gonna do if you get something then?” Kaito closed his eyes and scratched the back of his head. “Just yell at someone or scold ‘em? C’mon, you at least gotta turn ‘em down nicely if you don’t like them.”

“I doubt it’ll happen.”

Kaito seemed surprised at that quick dismissal. “Eh? C’mon, some guys like the tsun-type of girl…!”

“What did you call me?” she snapped, earning a sheepish chuckle from Kaito.

“Whoa, no need for the scary face, y’know… just sayin’. You’re a great girl, Maki Roll. And if someone likes you, well, it wouldn’t be nice to just disrespect their attempts. If they put effort into a love letter with you in mind, you gotta give ‘em props there, get what I’m saying?”

Maki would have snapped a sharp reply, but something Kaito said caught her by surprise. Love letter… a letter. Someone sending her a letter.

_ Head to the courtyard for your first surprise. _

… Seems she wound up here in the end. With a dissatisfied grumble, Maki stood up straight and pressed her arms tighter against her, almost defensively. “I’m going for a walk. Don’t follow me.”

“Huh? But —,”

Maki just glared. Kaito’s previous protest seemed to die out.

“Uh… sure then. If you need space, take it, okay? I’ll let you know how Shuichi does in the end,” Kaito offers, turning back to the duo at the fountain. Stealing a glance would show Kaede sitting next to Shuichi, feeding him a dark chocolate candy. He seemed to enjoy it. Kaede really worried for nothing…

… but that wasn’t the point right now.

Maki hummed in a final farewell and began walking off, in search of this ‘surprise’ that the note this morning mentioned. With a clue of who it was she was looking for, or what surprise it was exactly… it made the search quite frustrating to think about. In a way, Maki was about to deem it not worth her time. If a guy wanted to get on her good side, sending a vague letter with only a meeting spot wasn’t the way to do it. Anyone who knew her would know that…

But maybe it wasn’t as hard as she expected. What Maki found, tucked into a shrub by the back of the school, was another glaringly-bright envelope in that same shade of pink. Once again, her name was scrawled on the back. And set beside this was a single red rose, with a white ribbon tied in a bow around the stem.

Another letter? Maki sighed. Even so, she tore the heart sticker sealing it this time, and read the message inside.

_ That rose is for you, love. You’ll find your next surprise where “knowledge meets time”. _

Maki… was left almost incredulous. A game? Was this going to be a scavenger hunt? No. She wasn’t doing this. Whoever had the bright idea of this gimmick was surely mistaken on how to win her over.

Maki crumpled up the papers and marched straight to the nearest garbage can, Tossing the offending pink envelope in first, she took one last look at the riddled message.

…

And with a sigh, Maki tucked the letter into her pocket. Bringing the rose to her face, she took in the scent of the fresh-cut flower.

It wasn’t like she had anything to do today. Maybe if she played along, she could find who was playing this game and give them a piece of her mind...

**Author's Note:**

> Just a fun little fluffy story for now, to soothe the pain of V3 itself. This will have more chapters, of course, it won't end until we find out who's sending Maki on this quest!
> 
> Feel free to take your bets though. Who do you think will be the ship with Maki by the end?


End file.
